Fall bassing is some of the best fishing of the year. But if you limit yourself to chasing schooling bass or fishing the backs of feeder creeks, you may be missing out, says veteran Georgia pro Mickey Bruce.
"September and October are prime time," Bruce says, "and one of the best baits I can think of is a Zoom Super Fluke.
"If fish are breaking that's a great place to throw it," he adds. But his favorite place to fish the Fluke is "over structure that you normally fish with worm, jig or Carolina rig," during other times of the year.
"The reason is that most lakes are going to be the clearest in fall," Bruce notes. "And usually the water's a little lower." These are ideal conditions to fish a weightless, minnow-imitating bait, he says.
Grass, Dropoffs, Whatever
Bruce says a Super Fluke is ideal for lakes "with any kind of vegetation in it." Work it over the grass and hang on.
But vegetation isn't needed. Ledges, humps, dropoffs -- anywhere can be good, he says. And remember, you don't have to see the structure you're fishing. "I've actually pulled fish out of 25 feet of water with a Fluke," Bruce says.
No Speed Limit
Though most people are used to work Flukes and other soft jerkbaits slowly, don't do that in the fall. "That time of the year most people aren't working it quickly enough," Bruce says. "Bass are used to feeding on baitfish at that time of year, so they're used to chasing bait.
"When bass are schooling they'll bite it any way you fish it," he adds. "But to draw bass to the lure (up from structure), you need to work it fast. Most of the time you can't work it fast enough, even for largemouths."
The Rig
"The most productive way I've found to rig this bait is with a short (18-inch) leader and a barrel swivel," Bruce says. "The swivel enables me to cast it further -- you can cast it on little heavier line -- and when you give it that twitch, the swivel gives the bait a little more action. It darts side to side more.
"The two keys are moving the bait fast and that swivel," he says.
He uses 12-pound line and a 7-foot medium-action rod so he can "really get it out there. Long casts are important because the water is clear," he notes. "You want to make long casts past the structure and work the Fluke over it."
On a 3/0 wide-gap hook he threads a pearl-white Super Fluke. "Most of the time, that color will be sufficient," Bruce says.
Bruce likes a pearl-white Zoom Super Fluke (color not pictured).
